This application claims the priority of German application 198 11 783.3-21, filed in Germany on Mar. 18, 1998, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a coverable container for installation beside seats in vehicles, especially for installation as a center console between the front seats of a motor vehicle. Preferred embodiments relate to such a container having a lid pivotable around a pivot axis integral with the housing and simultaneously designed as an arm rest, for covering the housing opening, and with a latching device operable between the housing and the lid for locking the lid in pivot positions that modify the height of the arm rest on the housing, said device comprising a latching strip with latching holes arranged vertically above one another and a latching member that drops into them for locking.
In a known container of this kind (German Patent Document DE 44 43 521 C1) the latching device with the latching strip and latching member is located between the lid and the housing wall of the housing located beneath the pivot axis of the lid, said walls extending parallel to the pivot axis. The latching member is formed at the end of a lever articulated to the underside of the lid at a slight distance from the pivot axis, and engages by a latching nose, a latching strip mounted vertically in the housing interior of the housing wall. A guide pin projecting from the latching member is guided in a bracket that reverses the guide pin in such fashion that the guide pin, when the lid is lifted, is located in a path section in which the latching nose is pushed by spring force into the teeth and when the lid is lowered, following a previous maximum pivoting of the lid away from the housing opening, lies in a path section in which the latching nose is lifted out of the teeth. To set different heights of the arm rest, the lid is pivoted upward in stages around its pivot axis. At each pivot stage the latching nose locks the lid in the teeth to keep it from falling back. It is only after the maximum pivot position is reached (container opened completely) that the latching member is reversed and the latching nose is pulled out of the teeth so that the lid can be pivoted back into the closed position without interruption. This height adjustment of the lid in the hinge area however has the disadvantage that the latching device is subjected to considerable stress because of the high bending moments that develop and consequently must be made very stable. For this reason, it also requires a correspondingly large area for installation which is not always available or must be provided at the expense of storage space.
In a likewise known container (German Patent Document DE 196 43 051 C1) a stable height adjusting device is provided for the arm rest with small installation dimensions between the housing and the arm rest, a closing plate covering the housing opening is provided that is pivotable around the pivot axis of the arm rest. A supporting lever extends at a lengthwise distance from the pivot axis between the arm rest and the closing plate, with the supporting point of the lever located near the front end of the closing plate that faces away from pivot axis being made displaceable in the lengthwise direction of the arm rest and lockable by a manually releasable locking device. In this known container, the height adjusting device for the arm rest is quite stable but the additionally required closing plate for supporting the support lever makes its construction costly, in addition to the fact that the closing plate must be locked twice, once at the housing and once at the arm rest, so that it can be pivoted away from the housing together with the arm rest for access to the interior of the container.
A goal of the invention, in a container of the species recited at the outset, is to provide an economical and stable adjustment of the arm rest that requires only a small amount of space for installation.
This goal is achieved according to the invention in a container of the above-mentioned type, by providing an arrangement wherein the latching device is located on a side of the housing that is opposite the pivot axis, wherein the latching device comprises at least one spring-loaded latching pin which is aligned parallel to the pivot axis of the lid and guided displaceably lengthwise in the lid, and wherein the latching strip has as latching holes and is provided on a housing wall of the housing that extends transversely to the lengthwise axis of the latching pin.
The container according to the invention has the advantage that because of the existing double mounting of the arm rest, namely at the rear at the pivot axis and at the front at the latching device, the loads on the latching device are significantly lower. As a result, economical materials can be used for the latching device and the parts can be made smaller.
Designing the latching member as a spring-elastic latching pin that is guided lengthwise displaceably in the lid parallel to its pivot axis and providing the latching strip with latching holes on a side wall extending transversely to the lengthwise axis of the latching pin produces a sturdy latching device that can withstand high loads and does not prevent access to the interior of the container. The latching device can be released in an ergonomically favorable manner by simple kinematics using a manually operable button, entailing a simple lengthwise sliding of the latching pin. The latching pin and kinematics can be mounted on a kinematics support on the underside of the lid where they take up little space, so that an economical design with simple assembly results.
Advantageous embodiments of the container according to the invention with advantageous improvements and designs of the invention are described below and in the claims.
According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the latching member has at least one spring-loaded latching pin guided displaceably lengthwise on the lid, while the latching strip is mounted on a housing wall that extends transversely to the lengthwise axis of the latching pin. Preferably the at least one latching pin is aligned parallel to the pivot axis of the lid and the latching strip is mounted on a long wall of the housing. The latching pin is displaced lengthwise by means of a manually operable button located on the lid. This button is coupled by kinematics with the latching pin, with the latching pin and kinematics being located on the underside of the lid, which is lowered into the container opening, in the front end area of the lid. In the kinematics a pin is preassembled on a kinematic support which is then installed complete in the front area of the lid on the underside of the lid. This produces an economical design with a simple assembly.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.